Key Points
Key Points: Indian Historiography in the Ancient Period
- In ancient India, historical knowledge was preserved mainly through oral traditions such as stories of ancestors and mythological accounts.
- The Harappan civilisation shows early use of writing, but the Harappan script has not yet been deciphered.
- The earliest written historical records in India are the inscriptions of Emperor Ashoka from the 3rd century B.C.E.
- From the 1st century C.E., inscriptions on coins, sculptures, and copper plates provided valuable historical information.
- Writing of royal biographies, such as Harshacharit by Banabhatta, marked an important stage in Indian historiography.
Key Points: Indian Historiography in the Medieval Period
- Kalhana’s Rajtarangini is considered close to modern historiography because it critically examined historical sources.
- Ziauddin Barani believed that historians should record both the achievements and failures of rulers.
- Mughal historians mainly praised emperors, and Babur wrote his autobiography describing battles and regions.
- Abul Fazl’s Akbarnama is important for its unbiased and critical historical method.
- Bakhars were medieval historical writings that described rulers, events, and battles.
Key Points: Indian Historiography in the Modern Period
- Modern Indian historiography developed in the 20th century with archaeological research under British rule, led by Sir Alexander Cunningham.
- The discovery of the Harappan Civilisation by Sir John Marshall proved that Indian history dates back to the 3rd millennium B.C.E. or earlier.
- Many British historians wrote about Indian history, but their works were influenced by colonial policies and lacked objectivity.
- James Mill’s The History of British India and Grant Duff’s writings on the Marathas showed prejudice against Indian culture and history.
- Indian historians like Nilkanth Janardan Kirtane and Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade criticised and exposed the limitations of British historical writings.
Key Points: Indian Historiography in the Pre-Independence Era
- Colonial historiography was used to justify British rule and often showed prejudice against Indian culture.
- Orientalist historians admired ancient Indian civilisation and studied Sanskrit and Vedic literature.
- Sir William Jones founded the Asiatic Society to promote research in Indian history.
- Max Muller translated and edited important Sanskrit texts like the Rigveda.
- Nationalistic historiography aimed to restore pride in India’s ancient past.
- V. K. Rajwade believed that history should be written using authentic sources.
- Nationalistic historical writings helped inspire the Indian freedom movement.
Key Points: Indian Historiography in the Post-Independence Era
- Post-independence historiography expanded from dynastic history to social, cultural, and economic history.
- It was mainly influenced by Marxist, Subaltern, and Feminist schools of thought.
- Marxist historians studied class, caste, and economic systems (Kosambi, Dange, Sharma).
- Subaltern history focused on the lives of oppressed people; Ranjit Guha was a key historian.
- Phule and Ambedkar earlier highlighted Dalit and Shudra history through their writings.
- Feminist history emphasised women’s roles and issues; Tarabai Shinde wrote the first feminist book.
- Some historians, like Jadunath Sarkar and Ramchandra Guha, wrote without any fixed ideology.
Important Questions [7]
- What is Bakhar?
- Explain the different types of Bakhars in detail.
- ______ was the first Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India.
- Among women authors writing about women in the 19th century, C.E. ______ was the foremost one.
- Choose the correct option from the given options and complete the sentence. 'Primitive Communism to Slavery' represents the ______ historiography.
- Write a short note on Subaltern history.
- Identify the wrong pair in the following and rewrite it :
